WAYNE Rooney and Emma Noble, the former daughter-in-law of Sir John Major, are among the latest celebrities to sue over allegations of phone hacking.

Theirs are two of 46 new civil claims filed against the News of the World, it was revealed at the High Court yesterday.

In April last year, Rooney wrote on Twitter that he had been contacted by Scotland Yard detectives probing phone hacking, but this is the first time he has filed a claim. His agent, Paul Stretford, has also done so.

Wayne Rooney, left, and his singer James Blunt, right, have issueddamages claims in the latest round of phone-hacking litigation

Model and game show host Miss Noble, who was married to former Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major’s son, James, until 2004, has also lodged a claim.

The details emerged in court papers at a case management conference held yesterday to deal with the deluge of civil claims filed against News Group Newspapers, the News International subsidiary which published the now-defunct Sunday tabloid.

Emma Noble, left, who was married to Prime
Minister John Major’s son James and rugby player and pundit
Matt Dawson, right, are also suing

Hugh Tomlinson, QC, representing the majority of alleged phone hacking victims, told Mr Justice Vos that there had been 46 new cases filed.

They are part of a second wave of civil actions following the settlement of more than 50 cases earlier this year, including suits filed by former deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott, actor Jude Law and singer Charlotte Church.

In a previous hearing, the judge said he expected there to be 200 new claims submitted over the coming months.

Mr Tomlinson told the court that there were 4,791 potential phone-hacking victims, of which 1,892 had been contacted by the police.

The police believed 1,174 were ‘likely victims’.

TV presenter Jamie Theakston and footballer Ryan Giggs are also on the list of 46 names released today

Mr Justice Vos yesterday criticised the high number of solicitors representing alleged victims after hearing that £10million in costs had so far been incurred.

He said it was ‘unbelievable’ that 58 firms of solicitors were representing just 100 claimants and said it would be appropriate to encourage alleged victims to instruct lawyers who already had specialist knowledge of the litigation.

The judge was also told that some of those bringing claims wanted to remain anonymous.

But he said: ‘If you bring legal proceedings in this country, you expect to have them publicly known.’

Public figures including Cherie Blair and Alex Best, the widow of the ex-Manchester United footballer George Best, have already filed lawsuits, along with the man wrongly accused of murdering Rachel Nickell, Colin Stagg.